Hollywood star Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has posted his first selfie after a snow plowing accident.
The photo, taken from his hospital bed in Nevada, appeared on his Instagram page on Tuesday. It shows the actor with bruises on his face and oxygen tubes in his nose.
“Thank you all for your kind words,” the two-time Oscar nominee wrote. “I’m too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all.”
The post received over 4 million likes in the first few hours, with fans wishing Renner a speedy recovery. Messages of support also came from fellow MCU stars, including Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, and Paul Bettany. “Tough as nails. Love you buddy,” Chris Evans, who played Captain America, wrote.
Renner was flown to the hospital by helicopter on New Year’s Day after an accident outside his home in Washoe County, Nevada. A representative said the 51-year-old was in critical but stable condition after suffering “blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries.” He underwent surgery on Monday.
Details of the accident were revealed on Tuesday by Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam, who said Renner was run over by a snow plow, which began rolling by itself.
The actor used the PistenBully fully-tracked snow groomer to extract his car, which was being driven by a family member, from a mound of snow. When he went to talk to the relative, the plow began moving on its own.
“In an effort to stop the rolling PistenBully, Mr. Renner attempted to get back into the driver’s seat... it’s at this point that Mr. Renner was run over,” Balaam said.
Renner had his big break in 2008 with war drama ‘The Hurt Locker’, which received an Oscar for best picture, and also landed him a nomination for best actor. Besides starring in multiple Marvel projects, he also appeared in two ‘Mission: Impossible’ films, and movies such as ‘Arrival’, ‘The Bourne Legacy’, and ‘American Hustle’.